The present invention relates to a planetary ratcheting tool, such as may be used on larger diameter items, like pipes and pipe connections, and equipment filters, for example, where access thereto is restricted.
Pipe wrenches and ratchet wrenches are common tools for most households, such that their mechanical use and principles of leverage use are well known. Typically, one must have ample room in which to rotate the tool. Unfortunately, there are special applications where access to the pipe connection, for example, is limited. One such application is where a leaking pipe joint, such as between floors, must be repaired, or a poorly accessible pipe must be cut. With a typical pipe wrench, a large hole would have to be made in the ceiling of the lower level, in order to properly manipulate, i.e. rotate the pipe wrench. And, since the lower level is presumably a finished room, the large opening in the ceiling must be repaired and the scars of such repair may be permanent. There is a need for a special application tool that allows for such repairs without causing excessive corrective work.
The prior art, though not necessarily meeting such a goal, offers some special application tools, as described in the following U.S. Patents:
a.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,266, to Wilson, Jr. teaches line fitting orientation guides for use with a split socket and socket drive assembly. The guides include an opening for receiving and abutting the line on which the fitting is maintained as the fitting is received and properly positioned in the socket. The orientation guide may be integral to either the socket or the drive assembly structure, or may be a separate unit mounted to the drive assembly structure. PA1 b.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,553, to Galat, discloses an open-ended, off set geared nutrunner having a housing with an opening providing access to a socket opening in the driving gear. The device further includes a seating structure mounted around the opening to receive the head of a powered wrench in a non-threaded connection when a driving stud on the wrench has been received in the socket opening. PA1 c.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,698, to Delaney, teaches a bung tool having a cylindrical body with a four-armed drive portion projecting from one end thereof and a six-armed drive portion projecting from the opposite end thereof, respectively for engagement with different types of bungs. A drive member reciprocates in a square cross-section axial bore through the body, being manually moveable by a handle which projects radially through a slot in the body. The drive lug of an associated drive lever is receivable in the opposite ends of the bore for respectively driving the two drive portions. The drive member reciprocates among two recessed positions respectively spaced from the opposite ends of the bore to allow insertion of the drive lug therein and a drive position projecting from one of the drive portions for driving engagement with a bung cap. PA1 d.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,289, to Iwinski, relates to a tool for use in attachment of a drain basket to a drain hole in a basin or the like, and is provided in the form of a cylindrical body having lugs projecting longitudinally from one end thereof The drain basket has a lower cup-like portion with a plurality of drain apertures and a threaded portion on the exterior of the cup-like portion for attachment to a drain pipe, the cup-like portion receiving therein a strainer basket for retaining particles from water flowing from the basin to a drain pipe. The lugs of the tool are shaped and dimensioned to fit into the drain apertures near the bottom of the cup. Around the base or joint of the lugs with the tool body, there is a radially extending ring or ledge. The tool may be attached to the external bottom of the drain basket by inserting the lugs through the cup-like portion and into the slots, then applying the lower flange around the tool body and threading it onto the lower threaded fitting which extends down from the cup. PA1 e.) U.S. Pat No.4,649,778, to Bottoms, relates to apparatus which can be utilized on a drilling rig to aid in rotating drill pipe sections to connect and disconnect them. The apparatus includes a cat's head chain device to rotate the pipes but which avoids the danger arising when workmen wrap the chain around a pipe. The apparatus further includes a jaw assembly which can be installed around a pipe section, and which has teeth on its inner surface to engage the pipe and sprockets on its outside to engage the cat's head chain so the chain can turn the jaw assembly. A stationary frame surrounds the jaw assembly while permitting it to rotate therewithin, the frame also carrying a backup roller to keep the chain engaged with the sprockets of the jaw assembly.
The prior art described above fails to offer the special needs for performing corrective work in limited access locations. Further, none of such prior art, nor any commercial products known to the inventors, combines the unique attributes of this invention, namely, a pipe wrench and pipe cutting tool utilizing a planetary gear arrangement. The manner by which this invention achieves the attributes hereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following specification, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.